Where Is Joey Today?

The Vienna Opera

After the night of Mozart and Strauss (which BTW, Aunt Laura nailed the Sousa-ish piece as the Radetsky March) I decided to press my luck and see what was playing at the Vienna Opera House. Honestly, I didn't care. It could have been a reading of the phonebook for all I cared (turns out that would have been preferable) as long as I got a look inside. It was that attitude is what made me not realize I was going to a ballet, Onegin, until the thing had started.




Onegin tells the touching story of very limber women on their way to putting a podiatrist's kids through college and men that like to frolic effeminately. The more cultured girls in front of me explained that it was actually a tragic lovestory, where one woman was sought after by two men. A love triangle. Why do the supposed "cultural" pieces usually have the thematic diversity of "Gilligan's Island"?

Niles : You have been an applause junkie ever since you first set foot on a grammar school stage.

Frasier : (enraged) I was drawn to the theater because of it's discipline and collaborative spirit!

Niles : Oh, please. In your sixth-grade production of Oklahoma you took so many curtain calls, Mrs. Van Raaphorst had to lasso you and pull you from the stage.

Frasier : That woman never understood me or the roll of farmer number three!

At the end of the performance there were three curtain calls, and people threw dozens of flowers out to the dancers. I just felt like yelling out, "Don't do that! It only encourages them to put on more of this dreck".

So after walking back, I decided to hit the sack and get up early. Well that didn't happen and I got to Salzburg around 4:30ish for my flight at 8:50. I did get to see Mozart's birthhome and the Domkirche, but not much else. Given my past experience with Charleroi airport and Ryanair I wanted to take no chances on getting to the airport late and missing the flight, though I suppose there are worse things than being (von)Trapped in Salzburg.

The flight was a hell of a deal, €30 euros to fly to Dublin. So naturally I was not expecting much (drinks etc, have to be purchased) but man the landing was bad. When they repressurized the cabin my ears hurt and my eyes even worse. They were watering like crazy. Oh and the touchdown was with gusto :-P

Outside I found my 16A bus that goes "next to the hostel" but it was full. Instead, I listened to an Irish couple that said, this bus goes to the center. I kept looking for Temple Bar or the Connoley street spire as they would be good landmarks. I saw the latter, but it was still in the distance. As time went on, we got further away before last stop. Nuts. The area appeared sketchy so I followed some Canadians and 20 minutes later I hailed a cab. The cabbie later told me that I was lucky to get out of that part of town with my belongings. Tourists are a delicasy, and he said multiple ones traveling together just egg them on.

The Avalon House hostel might be a remodeled YMCA, not sure. Not one of the better places I have stayed and certainly not deserving of its reputation, that said, it is very centrally located and decently priced.

Guinness Brewery Tour

Today I started the day with a lunch of Bangers and Mash and a pint of Guinness. I walked past a James Joyce statue, street, bar, cafe, plaza, hotel and probably other stuff. Ol JJ is to Dublin what Mozart is to Salzburg. I eventually made my way to the Guinness Brewery where they have a self guided tour that is not to be missed. The ticket is a paperweight with a drop of the black stuff inside. It also entitles you to a pint in the Gravity Bar where you get a view of Dublin that can't be beat! On the way back I stopped off for an early dinner of Irish Stew and Guinness (one more til I make it a half gallon) . Inside I met a group of four Americans traveling around from Austin. Maybe it was the beer, the layover from the flight, who knows but I got an invitation to stay with them if I am in Austin. Cool! Anyway, as with Germany, I am still waiting for this bad Irish food I hear about.

Emily arrives tomorrow where we head to Galway/Connemara where we have a hostel on a fjord. The next day is a trip to the old family homestead in Beleek then we return to Dublin and ultimately London before coming back to Tampa

Portrait of a blogger as a young man

--Joey